Traitor
by Nylien
Summary: Set immediately after the events of Bespin. As they fly back to the Rebel Alliance, Lando discovers that he has perhaps more in common with the Princess than he previously thought.


**Disclaimer :** Don't own Star Wars **  
**

 **Notes** **:** Constructive criticism is appreciated

* * *

 **Traitor**

For the first time in his life, Lando didn't feel the usual wave of relief and smugness that came whenever he managed to escape someone's grasp at the very last moment. For once, he wasn't feeling victorious at all ; it was even quite the opposite. In fact, he didn't remember having ever felt that miserable.

Lando stared outside the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon at the deep shadows of space and the bright lights of the stars surrounding them. The sight only served to tighten painfully the knot in his stomach. It should have been Han sitting here and enjoying the view, not him...

Thinking of Han only made him feel worse. Now carbon-frozen and at the hands of a ruthless bounty hunter, what were his chances of surviving, this time ? He knew that the smuggler had an habit of defying the odds, but what could he do in that helpless a situation ?

' _It is your fault he is in that situation in the first place_ ,' said a nasty word inside his head.

Lando put his head in his hands. The voice was more than right it was _all_ his fault. If he hadn't accepted that damn deal with the Empire... _'Your people would have suffered_ ,' another voice said. ' _You had no choice._ '

Yes, that was what he thought at the time. He had no _choice._ But did he ? He didn't know anymore... And, he thought bitterly, by turning against the Empire in the end, he had doomed them. He hoped most of them had had time to evacuate, but how many would have to pay for his failures ? He gritted his teeth. At the moment, he would have given anything to be anyone else.

Suddenly, he heard shouts in the main bay of the Falcon. Worried, he bolted upright and headed towards it. He was there met by Chewbacca, who roared at him :

[You stay out of here !]

''Hola, buddy, I only want to help ! I heard shouts... What's going on ?''

Chewie scowled at him, refusing to answer. Now that he wasn't going to be strangled anymore, Lando insisted :

''Come on, Chewie, tell me what's going on !''

[The young cub is going into shock.]

Lando's inside grew cold. Lule Skywalker, the young Jedi apprentice. Who had just lost his right hand during a duel with Darth Vader himself. And his fault again.

''Damn,'' he cursed under his breath. ''What can I do to help ?''

[Don't get in the way.]

Lando sighed. Of course, after what he had done, he should have known his presence wouldn't be wanted.

''Where is he ?'' he asked.

[In the medbay. The Princess is taking care of him.]

''The princess ? She knows how to treat and handle a person going into shock ?''

Chewie stared at him for a long moment, as if judging him, then growled :

[She knows a lot more than she lets on at first appearance. And anyway, Luke is reacting very badly to anyone else trying to approach him. The little blue droid is with her, too.]

''Won't do her any good if she can't understand him,'' Lando pointed out.

[She can understand binary.]

His mouth fell open. ''She...what ?''

Chewie ignored him. Completely stunned, Lando only stood beside Chewie in silence, listening to any sound that might coming from the medbay.

The Princess. She was the last person he had expected when he had accepted the deal. Since the Dark Lord hadn't given him any detail, he hadn't known who would be coming beside Han. He hadn't recognised her, at first ; he wasn't well placed enough in the grand scheme of galactic politics to know her personnally. But whoever had dealt a little with planetary politics knew the _princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_ , at least by name. At sixteen, she was the youngest person ever elected in both the republical and imperial Senate ; she then became a known and wanted rebel leader after the destruction of her home planet, three years ago.

Lando had fisrt questionned why she was with Han, and why Han was with the Rebel Alliance in the first place, since he never got involved.

'Well now I know,' he thought bitterly. 'They were in love.' He had really screwed up this time.

Lando snapped back up to the present. The Princess had just entered the main bay. She looked a strange mixture of broken, drained, and angry.

[How is he?] Chewie asked at once.

Well, apparently, in addition to binary, she also knew Shyriiwook, and answered, looking up at Chewie :

''He'll be fine. I've managed to prevent the shock and gave him sleeping pills. They'll probably won't work, but hopefully it will stop him from going back into shock. I'll keep checking on him until we arrive. Artoo is still with him.''

[Good. I'll be in the back. Repairs need to be done. Call if you need me.]

''I will.''

The Wookie left the main bay, leaving Lando and the Princess alone in the room. She stared at him for a long moment, still and silent. Somehow, and despite her short stature, he found her as intimidating as Darth Vader himself. In fact, right now with her straight posture and her blazing gaze, she was rather frightening. Then, she spoke, her voice colder than ice :

''I suppose you are to come with us to the Alliance.''

Lando swallowed. '' Well, yes, if you're accepting me, of course...''

She studied him for a long moment. Nervous, Lando waited. Damn those politicians and their habit of using silence as a weapon...

''You will be questionned,'' she stated flatly.

Lando winced. ''I dare hope the Alliance's methods of questionning are totally unlike the Empire's.''

The young woman tensed considerably. ''They are indeed,'' she answered through gritted teeth.

Cursing his stupidity, Lando mentally slapped himself. She and Han had just spent two entire days being tortured by the Empire, while in his custody. And, according to Vader's words, it wasn't the first time that the princess spent some time in imperial custody.

''Has...'' he began awkwardly. ''Has anyone treated you ?''

She narrowed her eyes. ''This,'' she answered in a dangerous whisper, ''is none of your concern.''

And she headed past him towards the cockpit.

'Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say,' he thought. Then, 'I have to apologise... For everything...'' Trying to come up with something that wouldn't turn into a lame excuse, he too headed towards the cockpit. When he arrived, she was already sitting in the pilot's chair, setting coordinates in the console. He hesitated, then asked, indicating the copilot's chair :

''May I ?''

''Suit yourself.''

Sitting down, he gazed once again outside the cockpit at the beautiful sight lying in front of him. Summoning his courage, he began : ''Listen, I...''

Every single one of the sentences he had managed to come up with on his way towards the cockpit evaporated the second she lifted her head and looked at him, her cold glare burning holes into his skull. He tried again, lamely :

''I... well, I wanted to... to say that I am sorry for what happened, and that if...''

''Don't,'' she warned him.

''Sorry, what ?'' he asked, not understanding.

''Save your excuses and apologies for the Alliance's Intelligence and the other members of the High Council. It is them you will have to convince, not me.''

Again, Lando had the disturbing feeling that he never wanted to get on her bad side. ' _Well, it is already too late for that_ ,' said the nasty voice inside his head. A chill ran down his spine as he remembered that she had stopped Chewie from choking him to death only at the last second...

''So you... do you forgive me for what I've done ?''

''No,'' she replied flatly. ''Why would I ?''

He asked desperately : ''Then do I have to understand that whatever I do or say, you won't ever trust me ?''

Again, he would have slapped himself. How came that this woman could set him that much on edge ? Usually, he always managed to charm his way through with soothing words, and here he was, reduced to a nearly begging fool.

The ghost of a deadly cold smile danced on the Princess' face.

''What exactly are you asking me for, Baron ? Trust, or forgiveness ? Not quite the same thing, are they ?''

Ah, yes. Damn those politicians and their word plays, too. Not understanding how those two notions could be separated in that situation, he only looked back at her, waiting. Concentrating again on the coordinates and the consoles, she sighed and continued :

''I know you won't turn back against us. We can therefore say you have my trust. But don't ask for my forgiveness right now.''

''How can you possibly know I won't turn back ?''

Her deadly gaze fell upon him : ''Will you ?''

''No, of course not, but how...''

''A feeling.''

''And you trust a _feeling_ ?'' he asked, incredulous.

''Yes, I do,'' she gritted out. ''Anything else, Baron ?''

Obviously, this was an invitation to end the converation before anything bad happened. But by now there was a new doubt in him, and he couldn't just let go. ''Aren't you mad at me ?''

''Not anymore, not right now at least, but I might soon be.''

Not taking the hint, Lando gaped. How could she... how could she not... ''But why ?''

''Would you prefer it if I were ?'' And with that, she stood and made to leave the cockpit. Lando stood up quickly, too.

''That's not what I meant, I just don't understand why...''

Her back still at him, she said nothing for a long moment, as if debating with herself. Then, looking at the door and still not at him, she replied in the coldest voice he had ever heard :

''I know what it is like, having to choose between your duty to your people and your other loyalties.''

She turned around. Lando involuntarily took a step back ; even though he knew this time that her anger wasn't directing at him, he had never seen so much _burning_ in someone's eyes before.

''I know what it is to be a traitor.''

And without another word, she turned and left the cockpit, letting Lando wondering what exactly had happened to her and wishing things hadn't come the way they did.

* * *

 _Fiction #1_

 _Nylien_


End file.
